GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I am interested in buying a used carving board. I will still keep a freestyle/mogul board, but I love carving on the groomed runs. I'm 14 years old, weigh about 110 pounds, about 5-4. Can anybody give me recommendations on a good starter board? Length? Type of boots/bindings? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshack Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 I'm about 20 lbs heavier than you, but the same height. There are plenty of slalom sticks short enough for you, but if you want to lay out long turns, you're going to have a tough time. So far as I can tell, you've got a few options: 1) Shorter all-mountain board (prior 4x4, burton coil, etc). 2) Shorter slalom/gs board. The burton ultra prime 156 might do you well. The 162 was a little stiff for me, but I've heard the 156 is significantly softer. 3) A softer Madd (F1 flex, or a 90's vintage). I've got one of these, and absolutely love it. What's your budget like? $700-800 will buy you a great board, custom-built for your weight. $300-400 will get you a great-condition late-model used one (madd, prior, donek) on the classifieds, but you might have to wait/ask around for one in the right size. $375 will also buy you a new Donek pilot, their light-weight/beginner carver, which I've heard some good stuff about. $100-$150ish will buy you something late-90's by Rossignol, Hot, or Burton. A lot of these have ugly-ass graphics, but I've heard they're great boards, especially for beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 hey thanks alot, im gonna check all of those options out thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoom Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 As a lightweight, the most important thing in your setup will be softness. Soft board, soft hard boots, soft hardboot bindings. Don't get too wrapped up in board length - there are a lot of mean stiff slalom decks out there. I can hardly decamber stiff shorter boards, but I can vary the arc on my custom flex 177. Boot choice has a lot to do with the size and shape of your foot. What size is your foot? Is it wide or narrow? Bindings - softer is better. Regular bail f2s are my current bindings. Burton Ibex or some of the other soft bindings might be great, too. I have tried Cateks and Bombers and found them far too stiff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 i am an 8.5 boot size and i have a narrow foot (thanks for the help)what kind of boot do you think would work for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoom Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 There's a lot of good info on boots (as well as other equipment) on BOL if you do a search. Also, definitely check out http://www.alpinecarving.com/ - fantastic all around resource. Oh - if you are able, try to get to a carving session near you (OES, ECES, INWES, etc.) or use the ride board to meet up with carvers in your area. Great quote on boots from Blue B in another thread: Buy cheap used to try. If no luck, sell for the same price. Repeat. Once you figured out the right ones, go for a new or good lightly used pair... And do not worry too much about street shoe sizes that many soft boots use. Measure your foot for mondo point. There's couple of very detailed articles about sizing the boots on BOL. From what majority of people here say, here's few rules of thumb: Burtons - narrow fit Raichle SB / Deluxe Lemans / Track 225/325 series - somewhat narrow fit, especially forward Raichle AF / Deluxe Suzuka / Indy / Track 700 series - a tad wider Head / Blax - even wider UPZ / UPS - wide toe, narrow heel area Go at least 1/2 size smaller then your measured mondo poin, especially on Raichle/Deluxe. By using thermo liners, you'll be able to enhance the fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 hey thanks, very helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 does anyone know a good site where i can see/buy used/new equipment just to look at prices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spil Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 Welcome to BOL! At 14, you are probably still growing, so you should also think about that in considering what size of board you are going to get. I have heard All-mountain boards are easier to learn on, but as you get better at carving, you might want a more carve specific board, especially since you already have a powder setup. If you do decide to go with an all-mounain board, there are 3 popular boards: Donek Axxess (better suited for groomers, but can go off-piste), Prior 4WD (better in powder than the Axxess), and Coiler AM (better in the trees). With all of these boards, look for the shortest lenghts. If you decide to go with a freecarve board, pretty much any slalom board would be good, and a Pilot would be great for you. They are made specifically for light weight, beginning carvers, and, like dshack said, they are cheap ($375). For boots, Buying used would be the best choice, because you will probably grow out of them after a few seasons, so you don't need to spend that much on them. You need a soft-flexing hardboot because you are lightweight. If you get new boots, the Deeluxe 225 is the softest flexing boot that you can buy new. For bindings, just make sure they fit your boot size. With F2 and Catek bindings, there are a long and short plate sizes. Bomber bindings only come in one size. I would suggest demoing a hardboot setup before buying, if at all possible. In Colorado, you can demo boards from Bomber, in Silverthorne, and from All boards Sports in Boulder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spil Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 does anyone know a good site where i can see/buy used/new equipment just to look at prices? On BOL, in the "For Sale" forum, and at raceboarders.com, click on the ebay button at the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 thanks, are the f2 and catek bindings fairly flexible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcarver Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 There were some new old stock Burton 3 buckle boots in yours size for $30 in the classifieds. Look for an all mountain carver which will have a softer flex than a true race board. There are some new older Generics boards on E-bay for cheap in shorter sizes. I bought a 160 AM board that is really fun. I think it was Zboardhouse or somebody. Anyway if you do a search under snowboards in all text with "alpine" you can find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spil Posted February 24, 2008 Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 thanks, are the f2 and catek bindings fairly flexible? F2 bindings are flexible, but Catek's are very stiff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GStam93 Posted February 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2008 thanks guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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